Many mobile devices are configured to use removable Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (UICCs) that enable the mobile devices to access services provided by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). In particular, each UICC includes at least a microprocessor and a read-only memory (ROM), where the ROM is configured to store an MNO profile that the mobile device can utilize to register and interact with an MNO. Typically, a UICC takes the form of a small removable card, (commonly referred to as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card), which is configured to be inserted into a UICC-receiving bay included in a mobile device. In more recent implementations, however, UICCs are being embedded directly into system boards of mobile devices. These embedded UICCs (eUICCs) can provide several advantages over traditional, removable UICCs. For example, some eUICCs include a rewritable memory that can facilitate installation, modification, and/or deletion of one or more eSIMs, which can provide for new and/or different services and/or updates for accessing extended features provided by MNOs. An eUICC can store a number of MNO profiles—also referred to herein as eSIMs—and can eliminate the need to include UICC-receiving bays in mobile devices. Moreover, eSIMs can be remotely provisioned to mobile devices, which can substantially increase flexibility when users travel to different countries, migrate their phone numbers to different MNOs, and the like.
Presently, a common approach for managing eSIMs of mobile devices is MNO-centric, and involves network equipment of an MNO, such as a provisioning server, communicating directly with an eUICC of a mobile device through an over-the-air (OTA) secure channel. With the OTA secure channel established between the provisioning server and the eUICC of the mobile device, the provisioning server can remotely manage an appropriate eSIM of the eUICC included in the mobile device by sending commands to and receiving responses from the eUICC over the OTA secure channel.
The MNO-centric provisioning technique can have a number of drawbacks. Communication between the network equipment of the MNO and the eUICC of the mobile device can require radio resources while loading the eSIM (and/or an update) to the eUICC. In addition, external processors, such as a processor of the mobile device outside of the eUICC, can pass encrypted messages between the eUICC and the network equipment, and can have limited knowledge of the status of the loading and installation process.